


Quoth the... Wait that's not a Raven

by Ltleflrt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU mashup, Alternate Universe - Paranormal Investigators, Alternate Universe - Pet Store, Fluff, M/M, Psychic Abilities, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 14:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18263534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ltleflrt/pseuds/Ltleflrt
Summary: Dean, Castiel, and Sam are paranormal investigators.  Tonight's haunted spot is a Pet Store.





	Quoth the... Wait that's not a Raven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PurgatoryJar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurgatoryJar/gifts).



Even with the lights on pet stores were kind of spooky, what with all the snake and lizard tanks, and the tarantulas, and the giant tanks of fish that stared at you like they wanted to break through the glass and eat you...

Dean shudders and turns away from the tank to check the battery on the camera he’d just set up one more time.  Truthfully, he’s more disturbed by the creepy crawlies in the place than he is any potential ghosts.  “And what the fuck kind of ghost haunts a _pet shop?”_ he mutters.

At the end of the aisle, Sam lifts his head from his own equipment.  “What was that?”

“I said we should have sushi to celebrate when we’re done here.”  Dean side eyes the tank of cichlids.  Take that, freaky fishies.

Sam glances at the tanks, and does a very poor job of hiding a smirk.  “They’re harmless, Dean.”

“Sure until you stick your hand over the tank to feed ‘em.” Dean waves away whatever Sam opens his smart mouth to say, and moves on to the next camera.

Once everything is set up, they check in one more time with the shop’s owner before sending him home for the night.  Shortly after he leaves, the door opens again and Castiel pokes his head through.

“Are we ready?”

Dean smiles at his husband and beckons him inside.  “All set up, babe.  Come do your thing.”

The rest of Castiel’s body slips through the door, but he stays close to it, wide eyes taking in his surroundings.  He smiles when his eyes land on the guinea pig cages.  Something about seeing the squeaky furballs makes his shoulders relax, and he finally comes to stand at Dean’s side.  “The energy in here isn’t dark,” he says.

“Good thing, since we’re turning off the lights in a few minutes.” Dean pecks him on the cheek and then hands over Castiel’s night vision goggles and the little pocket recorder he likes to use during EVP sessions.  He tucks a few AA batteries in Castiel’s pocket, wiggling his fingers teasingly before pulling away.  “Batteries in that thing are fresh, but here’s some spares just in case.”

Castiel nods absently, his attention already spreading throughout the store.  “Someone is hungry.”

“I hope it’s not the fish,” Sam says without looking up from his switchboards.

“Haha fuck you.” Dean sticks his tongue out at his brother while he’s not looking.

“Mature, Dean.”

Only one person in here is psychic, and it’s not Sam.  But then again, they’ve been sniping at each other like nine year olds since before they were nine year olds, so he probably just guessed.  Ass.  But he gets a point.

Castiel has wandered away, his eyes half closed and his head tilting from side to side.  He’s getting something already, which is great.  Dean was convinced there was just some parrot fucking with the shop owner, but he’d kept his yap shut about it since the dude is paying them nicely for the investigation.

“Put your goggles on, Cas,” he calls.  “Lights are going out.”

Sam flips the switch and the place goes dark.  Dean and Sam don’t bother with goggles of their own, instead relying on their screens to show them where they’re going.  For now, Sam stays with the switch boards and Dean follows Castiel between the shelves.

After an hour, they’ve got nothing and his feet are aching, and he’s _really_ wishing he’d taken some allergy meds before they started.  The place is pretty clean, but the cat dander still got to him as they passed the kitten enclosure.

“Are you getting anything, Cas?” Dean finally asks.

His husband pauses, and Dean nearly runs right into him.  “No, I... I’m getting too much from the animals.  I can’t tell if there’s any other presences here.”

Before Dean can respond a voice calls from near the back of the store.  “Nevermore.”

Dean and Castiel swing to look at each other for a moment before they rush toward the voice.  It calls to them again and again, until they reach some large empty cages with for sale signs near the back office.  Inside one of them there’s a vaguely bird shaped glow.

“Nevermore,” the glow caws.

“Is... is that a ghost parrot?” Dean whispers.  He’s seen some fucking weird stuff over the years, including a black dog spirit guarding an old cemetery.  But a _bird?_

Castiel presses his hands against the cage.  When his goggles prevent him from leaning his face against it too, he whips them off and presses his forehead against the bars.  “Hello,” he says softly.

“Hello, hello, hello, _squawk!_ Hello!”

“How do you help a ghost bird to the other side?” Dean asks.

He can barely see Castiel’s smile through the image on his camera.  “You open their cage,” he says, already reaching for the door.

As soon as the door opens, the bird shaped glow explodes into a rain of sparks.  Dean flinches, but the sparks only tickle when they land on his skin.  And then the only light is from his camera screen.  “Did it work?”

Castiel tilts his head back and forth again before he grins widely.  His teeth look strange in the black and green image on the camera’s screen.  “Yes, I believe so.”

“Awesome,” Dean sighs.  And then he pumps a fist in the air.  “I told Sam it was a parrot! Dude owes me five bucks!”  He swings his arm around Castiel’s shoulders and pulls him into a sideways hug. “How do you feel about sushi to celebrate?


End file.
